Tesla IncCybercab launch underwhelms, raising doubts about autonomous tech reliability and scalability.

Tesla Inc. shares fell about 3% in premarket trading Friday after its Cybercab launch, which The Wall Street Journal columnist Tim Higgins said was more of a 'drizzle' than the 'storm' of robotaxis Elon Musk had promised. Higgins told CNBC that putting Cybercabs on Austin streets without anyone behind the wheel is 'a big deal,' but the event did not live up to the hype. Tesla held a closed event in Austin, adding its purpose-built Cybercab to its Robotaxi network and offering rides in limited parts of the city, with Texas records showing 45 Cybercabs registered ahead of the launch. The company outlined plans for dynamic ride pricing and promised a 'first-class experience at coach price,' but gave little indication of how quickly the fleet could scale. Higgins noted Tesla's biggest challenge is proving its camera-based autonomous driving system can work reliably enough to support a larger fleet, and prediction-market traders give Tesla only a 14% chance of selling at least one Cybercab to a retail customer for $30,000 or less by Dec. 31.
Tesla IncCybercab launch underwhelms, raising doubts about autonomous tech reliability and scalability.